Students of Tumaini

Finally, as we are ready to depart Tanzania, we will say a little about the wonderful students that Richard had at Tumaini University this past semester.  He was accepted by the students and entreated to stay for the next semester and the next two years until they graduated. The two classes that he taught were Functions / Trigonometry and Probability / Statistics. Whew! that is even hard to write.  He had mostly the same students in both classes and there were about 60 in each section.

The time went quickly and even more so when there would be unannounced holidays or staff meetings to interrupt the schedule. The college required the classes to have so many tests, assignments, and of course mid-terms and finals. All these numbers were easily put into the class statistics.

Most of students in front of Bloomquist Hall classroom 

A class representative was usually giving Richard information from and to the class. But toward the end of the semester, they had a meeting which wasn't reported. We found out the day of the last final that we were invited to the classroom for lunch.  It actually turned out to be a recognition for "Mr. Dornfeld" and a program that they had been preparing besides studying for their finals.

Notice the "mic" Lola uses

There were skits, a poem, a song and dance written by a student and performed by about 8 to 10, a few talks and thank yous and lunch. It included rice,  a tomato sauce, chicken, beef chunks, and cabbage. Even a few gifts had been prepared. It was a fun time.

The chair that Richard sat on for the program

Then it was our turn to invite them to the house that we had been living in while in Iringa-Kihesa "suburb". We didn't even have to give them a map to find us. A few knew where we lived and the word spread. The only thing they had to do was to jump across the rocks and stream to come from the campus.







We were in "our"garden wearing our new shirts.



They enjoyed the sodas, chips, cookies and candy.  As many photographs were taken as two days before on campus.  In fact, way too many to add to this blog.

Because the students were a great bunch to teach and a fun group, Richard told them it was very hard to leave when this semester ended.
We have names and emails. We'll try to keep in contact. Whenever we return he will find them! God bless them all as they continue their studies.